Aravanahatha (variant names:ravanhatta,rawanhattha,ravanastron,ravana hasta veena) is an ancientbowed, stringed instrument, used inIndia,Sri Lanka, and surrounding areas. It has been suggested as an ancestor of theviolin.[1]
The ravanahatha'ssound box may be agourd, a halvedcoconut shell or hollowed-out cylinder of wood, with a membrane of stretchedgoat or other hide. A neck of wood orbamboo is attached, carrying between one and four or more peg-tuned strings of gut, hair or steel, strung over abridge. Some examples may have severalsympathetic strings. The bow is usually of horsehair; examples vary in length.
In Indian tradition, the ravanahatha is believed to have originated among theHela people ofLanka during the time of the legendary kingRavana, after whom the instrument is supposedly named. The Hela people, however, had only settled in Sri Lanka around 500 BCE, and had not found any trace of an earlier civilization, only groups of tribals whom they called 'yakshas'. According to legend, Ravana used the ravanahatha in his devotions to theHindu GodShiva.[2] In the HinduRamayana epic, after the war betweenRama and Ravana,Hanuman returned to North India with a ravanahatha. The ravanahatha is particularly popular among street musicians inRajasthan, North India.
Throughout the history ofMedieval India, the kings were patrons of music; this helped in increased popularity of the ravanhatha among royal families. InRajasthan andGujarat, it was the first musical instrument to be learned by princes. TheSangit tradition of Rajasthan further helped in popularizingravanhatta among women.[citation needed]
Some sources suggest that between the seventh and tenth centuries AD, Arab traders brought the ravanastron from India to the Near East, where it provided the basic model for the Arabrebab, and other early ancestors of the violin family.[3][4]
In modern times, the instrument has been revived by Sri Lankan composer and violinistDinesh Subasinghe and used in several of his compositions, includingRawan Nada and the Buddhist oratorioKaruna Nadee.[5][6]
The European experimental folk bandHeilung also make use of the ravanahatha, in two of their albumsOfnir andFutha.
The Ravanahatha is mentioned briefly in Chapter 2 ofSamuel Beckett's 1953 novelWatt: “A ravanastron hung, on the wall, from a nail, like aplover.”
As it was and is, being a historical, theoretical, and practical treatise on the science and art of violin-making, for the use of violin makers and players, amateur aer=Ward, Lock, and Co.
Media related toRavanahatha at Wikimedia Commons